He leaned forward slightly, voice gaining weight.
"The burden of the crown is not a jewel to adorn the brow. It is judgment. Endurance. The unyielding will to sacrifice self for realm. A crown is no plaything for one still learning to stand upright beneath her own name."
His gaze fixed again on the council, lingering on those wavering in doubt, his tone pressing hard but wrapped in noble courtesy.
"Princess Kliatana, for all her grace, for all her lineage, has yet to prove herself in the forge of rule. Would you entrust the fate of this kingdom, pressed as it is from within and without, to hands untried? Shall we gamble the lives of our people on inexperience, when one misstep may fracture all that binds us together?"
Garius set his cup down lightly, his tone calm, every syllable sharpened with refined nobility.
